Summer Hiring Warnings

Date: May 23, 2014

News Release From NFIB/Wyoming

CHEYENNE, Wyo., May 23, 2014—As it does every year around this time, the association representing the small-business owners of America issues its summer hiring warnings concerning youth. But there is another cautionary note particular to Wyoming.

“Hiring teenagers for summer jobs has some requirements every business owner should know, but there is also a much broader concern with regular labor,” said Tony Gagliardi, Wyoming state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, America’s Voice of Small Business.

“For the past two years, we’ve seen an outright hostility in the Legislature toward the hiring of independent contractors, so I would warn every Wyoming business owner to be extra careful when classifying your help as either employees, whether full-time or part-time, or as independent contractors. Big labor has long desired to eliminate the status of independent contractors and force them to be classified as employees. During the last session of the Wyoming Legislature, there were two attempts to kill independent contracting. NFIB teamed up with the Wyoming Trucking Association and the Wyoming Contractors Association to defeat both, but the target is still painted on the back of independent contractors. NFIB will continue the fight against unreasonable audits targeting those industries that use independent contractors.”

A 406-word guest editorial on the five main warnings concerning summer hiring of youth can be found on the NFIB/Wyoming website. Media are free to use it as content for their publications and websites, or as background for any related stories. A link to a related video is also provided. The main points about youth hiring are:

The rules apply to them

Students 13 and younger have limited options when it comes to summer jobs

If they’re 14 or 15, their prospects are better

If they’re 16 or 17, they’re allowed to work up a sweat and earn serious money

If they’re 18 or older, legally, they’re adults.

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For more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival as America's economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. NFIB’s educational mission is to remind policymakers that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses; they have very different challenges and priorities.